Problem with Bush Hog zero turn mower

[pharmvet]

I have a Bush Hog brand zero turn mower. I have had it for approx. 2 years. This afternoon while mowing, it suddenly began to make an abnormal sound under the engine. We stopped the mower and upon close examination, the sound is coming from the PTO clutch / pully combination that is on a shaft coming directly from the motor. After the mower sat for 30 min, it would not start. When I turned the key the motor would attemp to turn over, but there would be a "clunk" sound coming from that PTO clutch / pully. I attempted to take the assembly apart but was only able to remove the pully and one side of the clutch. Even then, the motor would not turn over. I finally got the motor to crank by turning the key on several times in a row over and over until the engine finally turned over. I think something in that area was binding the shaft and not letting the enting turn over. After the engine cranked I drove it to the shop and killed it. It sounded very rough on the ride from yard to shop. After some consideration, I suspect there may be a bearing out or something similar in the shaft area coming directly from the motor. Any suggestions or advice is truely welcomed. If I can fix this myself, I would like to. If not, I will gladly take it in to the shop. thanks

 

[pharmvet]

Update - I was able to remove the lower portion of the clutch as well as the pto pully. From looking closely, I see that some copper wire in the clutch is exposed. I can also see several ball bearings but there appears to be some missing. However, I cannot get this remaining hardware off of the drive shaft. I dont want to force it if there is a set screw or something I cannot see I suspect the bearing has seized and there is just a friction issue. What can I use to get this thin off. Do I need a puller, or just a dead blow and a pry bar? thanks

 

[horsepuller]

I have a Bush Hog zero turn mower, model M2560. I replaced the electric clutch when it was about 8 years old. It was a Warner 5218-60 PTO clutch. I am not sure that yours is this one, or similar.

It sounds like you have removed the bottom portion of the clutch. The upper portion should just slide off (if I remember correctly). The flex-plate portion of the clutch has a keyway that locks it onto the shaft, this may be what is hung up.

http://www.turftractor.com sells these type of clutches. Search on "Bush Hog".

I have tried to attach a pdf of the clutch user manual, which as illustrations.

Good luck.

 

[pharmvet]

Thanks very much for the help!!

 

[Dadfsr]

There is no set screw on the electric clutch....I ought to know since my Bush hog M2673 is sitting with the clutch removed once again....this has been at least an annual occurrence. It's about 6 years old with a little over 1400 hours on it. Had to have the crankshaft replaced (Koehler 26 EFI) last year when it went through back to back clutches-discovered that the sleeve on the clutch pulley had worn a groove in the crankshaft and I had about .013 slop. It was starting to make some noise again this last week so I just pulled the clutch again-guess what??? YUP it's starting to make another groove.....


Anybody else heard of anyone else having these type of problems with their Bush hog ZTR's??? If the Bush hog dealer wasn't just a couple of miles down the road from me and has been bending over backwards to help me out, I would have got rid of this lemon a long time ago. I went round and round with Bush hog headquarters last year over the crank replacement...of course they said it was a Koehler problem and wouldn't do anything about it.....got to the point where they wouldn't even talk to me anymore. Heck even the local dealer quit offering the commercial mowers because they were more of a pain than they were worth-he can make more on the quality ag equipment without all the hassels.

 

[klm]

I have a Bush Hog model M2560K with around 400 trouble free hours on it, but the dealer I bought it from is gone and I have been concerned about that, maybe I need to think about trading, I sure like those Bad Boys.

 

[Skycrane]

Re: Problem with Bush Hog zero turn mower clutch

June 2nd, 2013 - I own a Bush Hog PZ2661KW2 26 HP Kawasakiｮ Engine, 61" Deck. This is my second unit as the dealer replaced the first one delivered as it took out the mower drive clutch located on the bottom of the engine driven by the main drive shaft. They wanted to change the engine, but instead my dealer arranged for a new replacement. Upon delivery I thought the clutch was loud, but chauked it up to just being scared. Then it increased and I sent it to the dealer, who tightened the bottom bolt that had come loose. The lock tighted it, but it came loose after probably five hours of use. They gave me a Bob Cat as a loaner, and it is no where near the mower that the Bush Hog is. Hopefully they recall them all or offer free replacements for those that are out of warrantee. If you own one, check for tightness frequently to same changing the engine possibly.
I wanted something strong and other than the clutch, this is the perfect Zero Turn Mower.

 

[laurajbee]

I have a Bush Hog zt250 and the PTO drive belts came off...trying to cut grass that was too high. I have no idea as to how to put them back on, can anyone please offer some help? (My ex used to work on the mower...he never showed my how to do anything...). Thanks in advance!! (I have no idea how old the mower is nor how many hours are on it.)

 

[smstonypoint]

Laura,

Do you have the owner's manual? If not, Bush Hog owner's manuals are available online at http://www.bushhog.com/images/stories/documents/manuals/ZTM-Estate-Pre-07.pdf. The one manual I checked gave pretty good instructions on the procedure for belt replacement. You will need wrenches and/or a socket set (SAE rather than metric for the manual I checked).

Let us know if you encounter any problems.

Good luck.

Steve

 

[laurajbee]

I figured it out, thanks anyway!